"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?" (Acts 11:15-17)
Who am I to think that I could stand in God's way? There is one thing that has become abundantly clear to me at this stage of my faith journey; God is already at work in places and through people and in ways that defy my expectations, in spite of my strategies and programs and with or without the structure of the Church! Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts and minds of all people of all nations, drawing them towards faith in Jesus Christ. While churches continue to develop sophisticated evangelism strategies and programs, the greatest evangelism strategy of the Church has little to do with what we do, but everything to do with looking and listening for where the Spirit of God is moving.
God broke through Peter's religious and cultural prejudices with a vision that opened his eyes to see a group of spiritually hungry people who were ready to hear the gospel message. May our vision extend beyond our own religious and cultural boundaries to recognise where the Spirit of God is already at work. May our hearts be open to respond to the 'faith of the unbeliever' wherever it may be expressed. And may our voices be ready to join a conversation that has already begun to speak a revelation of Jesus Christ!
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